The intelligence services of the various branches of the United States armed forces, as well as other agencies not directly under the supervision of the Department of Defense, gather and analyze a broad range of information about international affairs and events, and share their evaluations with policymakers. The people who work for these services represent a cross section of academic and professional pursuits. There are few college majors that do not provide a foundation for a meaningful career as an intelligence officer.

Military Intelligence

All five branches of the United States military operate intelligence services which employ cutting-edge technology. They all seek officers and enlisted personnel with strong backgrounds in engineering, computer science and technology. In addition, fluency in a foreign language is highly desirable. In most cases, you must join one of the services to pursue a career in military intelligence. The intelligence they gather is important to both the national intelligence community and the missions of the units in their respective services. The two largest such services are the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) and the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command.

Office of Naval Intelligence

The ONI employs civilians to work side-by-side with Navy officers and enlisted personnel in several areas, including civil and maritime analysis, foreign naval analysis, counter piracy, ship tracking and maritime intelligence, as well as intelligence information technology. To qualify for these positions, civilian and military personnel have backgrounds in information technology, security and law enforcement, engineering and science, logistics management, electrical installation and maintenance, as well as many other areas.

Army Intelligence

Much of the intelligence work performed by the Army relates to developing a deeper understanding of actual and potential combat adversaries, and involves a great deal of travel and interaction with representatives of various foreign cultures. Foreign cultural studies and international business courses are helpful in these areas. In addition, Army intelligence depends a great deal on the human element, and is supported by backgrounds in psychology, interpersonal communications, and sociology.

Civilian Intelligence Services

The National Security Agency (NSA), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and several other civilian organizations are also involved in gathering intelligence useful to policymakers. The type of intelligence they gather is different from that sought by the military agencies and often has to do with evaluating other nations’ economic, industrial and military capabilities. In addition, they are involved in overt and covert operations with a broad range of objectives, including the defense of the nation’s information technology infrastructure. The CIA employs mathematicians, linguists, lawyers, engineers, economists and scientists, among many others. The NSA especially seeks cyber-professionals with backgrounds in computer science, computer and electrical engineering and mathematics.

About the Author

Dale Marshall began writing for Internet clients in 2009. He specializes in topics related to the areas in which he worked for more than three decades, including finance, insurance, labor relations and human resources. Marshall earned a Bachelor of Arts in communication from the University of Connecticut.